In the stew that is electoral politics, many ingredients go into the making of a winning campaign. One of them, the importance of which has long been debated (like a pinch of saffron or a dash of salt), is that of endorsements — both by individuals and by representative organizations.
Two Democratic candidates for Shelby County Mayor rushed out news this week of what they consider important endorsements of their candidacies.
Deidre Malone announced an endorsement from James Harvey, the current chairman of the Shelby County Commission and a mayoral candidate himself before withdrawing from the race.
In a press release put out by the Malone campaign, Harvey is quoted as saying, in part, “… I fully support Deidre Malone for Shelby County Mayor. She is the best candidate for the job as a business woman, a mother, a community activist and someone who understands the needs of this community, especially regarding education and healthcare….”
Simultaneously, one of Malone’s rivals in the Democratic primary, Steve Mulroy, announced this week that he had been endorsed by Mike Cody, former City Council member, U.S. Attorney, and state Attorney General, as well as a onetime candidate for Memphis mayor.
Mulroy made a point of noting that four years ago Cody had endorsed the current Republican county mayor, Mark Luttrell, the candidate whom this year’s eventual Democratic primary winner will be matched against.
And on Friday Mulroy added news of another endorsement — that of Judge Joe Brown, the former Criminal Court Judge, TV celebrity, and current candidate for District Attorney General who made headlines this week as the result of a confrontation in Juvenile Court with a magistrate who cited him for contempt of court.
Ironically, Mulroy and Brown themselves clashed somewhat during a public forum last year in which Mulroy was a panelist and Brown an audience member. Earlier this year, however, Mulroy gave Brown an enthusiastic introduction when Brown was the featured speaker at a Memphis Rotary Club luncheon.
